Chapter 13

First Missionary Journey

1 Now there were at aAntioch, in the bchurch that was there, cprophets and dteachers: eBarnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of fCyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with gHerod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, athe Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me bBarnabas and Saul for cthe work to which I have called them.”

3 Then, when they had fasted and aprayed and blaid their hands on them, cthey sent them away.

4 So, being asent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to bCyprus.

5 When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in athe synagogues of the Jews; and they also had bJohn as their helper.

6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a amagician, a Jewish bfalse prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus,

7 who was with the aproconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

8 But Elymas the amagician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the bproconsul away from cthe faith.

9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, 1afilled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him,

10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you ason of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked bthe straight ways of the Lord?

11 “Now, behold, athe hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.

12 Then the aproconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at bthe teaching of the Lord.

13 Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from aPaphos and came to bPerga in cPamphylia; but dJohn left them and returned to Jerusalem.

14 But going on from Perga, they arrived at aPisidian bAntioch, and on cthe Sabbath day they went into dthe synagogue and sat down.

15 After athe reading of the Law and bthe Prophets cthe synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.”

16 Paul stood up, and amotioning with his hand said,

“Men of Israel, and byou who fear God, listen:

17 “The God of this people Israel achose our fathers and 1bmade the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm cHe led them out from it.

18 “For aa period of about forty years bHe put up with them in the wilderness.

19 “aWhen He had destroyed bseven nations in the land of Canaan, He cdistributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took dabout four hundred and fifty years.

20 “After these things He agave them judges until bSamuel the prophet.

21 “Then they aasked for a king, and God gave them bSaul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

22 “After He had aremoved him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘bI have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My 1will.’

23 “aFrom the descendants of this man, baccording to promise, God has brought to Israel ca Savior, Jesus,

24 after aJohn had proclaimed before 1His coming a bbaptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

25 “And while John awas completing his course, bhe kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

26 “Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of athis salvation has been sent.

27 “For those who live in Jerusalem, and their arulers, brecognizing neither Him nor the 1utterances of cthe prophets which are dread every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him.

28 “And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they aasked Pilate that He be 1executed.

29 “When they had acarried out all that was written concerning Him, bthey took Him down from cthe 1cross and dlaid Him in a tomb.

30 “But God araised Him from the dead;

31 and for many days aHe appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now bHis witnesses to the people.

32 “And we apreach to you the good news of bthe promise made to the fathers,

33 that God has fulfilled this promise 1to our children in that He araised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘bYou are My Son; today i have begotten You.’

34 “As for the fact that He araised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘bI will give you the holy and 1sure blessings of David.’

35 “Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘aYou will not 1allow Your 2Holy One to 3undergo decay.’

36 “For aDavid, after he had 1served bthe purpose of God in his own generation, cfell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and 2underwent decay;

37 but He whom God araised did not 1undergo decay.

38 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that athrough 1Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

39 and 1through Him aeveryone who believes is 2freed 3from all things, from which you could not be 2freed 3through the Law of Moses.

40 “Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of ain the Prophets may not come upon you:

41 ‘aBehold, you scoffers, and marvel, and 1perish;

For I am accomplishing a work in your days,

A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’ ”

42 As 1Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these 2things might be spoken to them the next aSabbath.

43 Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the aGod-fearing 1bproselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in cthe grace of God.

Paul Turns to the Gentiles

44 The next aSabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of 1the Lord.

45 But when athe Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were 1blaspheming.

46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you afirst; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, bwe are turning to the Gentiles.

47 “For so the Lord has commanded us,

‘aI have placed You as a blight for the Gentiles,

That You may 1bring salvation to the end of the earth.’ ”

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying athe word of 1the Lord; and as many as bhad been appointed to eternal life believed.

49 And athe word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region.

50 But athe Jews incited the 1bdevout women cof prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their 2district.

51 But athey shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to bIconium.

52 And the disciples were continually afilled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.